Texas Architect Jan/Feb 2007: Spaces for Learning

Texas Architect is the official publication of the Texas Society of Architects, each edition features recently completed projects and other editorial content largely written by AIA members in Texas. That collective participation was the basis of Texas Architect’s recognition by the national AIA with a 2010 Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement.

N E W S
AIA Fort Worth Awards Seven Projects
f o r t
w o r t h A I A For t Wor th recognized seven projects at the chapter’s 2006
Design Awards ceremony held at the Modern
Art Museum.
A panel of three jurors – Teddy Cruz, of
Estudio Cruz in San Diego; Rick Archer, FAIA, of
Overland Partners in San Antonio; and Sharon
Odum, AIA, of Sharon Odum Architect in Dallas
– presented Merit Awards to Ryan YMCA in Fort
Worth by Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford Architects;
Lee Elementary School in Denton by VLK Architects; and Good Shepherd Catholic Community
in Colleyville by Jim Bransford Architect.
The Ryan YMCA project addition reorients
the existing entry and expresses the building’s
connection to the community. Degrees of transparency and color and movement in the scattered
glass draw attention to the activities within.
Lee Elementary School was built in four
phases to allow the existing campus to remain
fully functioning during construction. The
main corridor articulates the curved academic
wing and separates public areas from the classrooms, library, and administrative spaces.
Good Shepherd Catholic Community, a
1,600-seat Catholic church, seeks an alternative to traditional religious architectural forms.
Asymmetry is used in place of formal axial
composition to create dynamic shifts in the
traditional location of the liturgical centers.
A panel of three jurors – Paul Dennehy, AIA;
Chad Davis, AIA; and Emery Young, AIA – recognized three student projects. Honor Awards
were given to the Dallas Architecture Center
and the Modular Learning Facility, both entries
by Ogheneruno Okiomah from UT Arlington. A
Merit Award was given to the Nedderman MixedUse Development, by Constantine Alexandris
from UT Arlington.
The Dallas Architecture Center features a
hollow core design that unifies the various levels,
visually connecting occupants while keeping
openness an integral part of the structure.
The Modular Learning Facility design features a sustainable portable classroom that
itself becomes a teaching tool by involving
Ryan YMCA
efficient means of construction through ecofriendly systems. The facility features modular
building, passive solar heating/cooling, natural
ventilation, and water capture/re-use.
The Nedderman Mixed-Use Development
design adds connectivity and new life to this area
of campus. Dormitories and facade updates fold
around new courtyards and pedestrian paths,
creating a defined and welcoming entrance.
The Mayor’s Award was presented to Weldon
Hafley Development Center by VLK Architects.
The jurors for the award were Fernando Costa,
planning director for City of Fort Worth, and
Glen Whitley, a Tarrant County commissioner.
This project transforms an abandoned food
store into an inviting space to house preschool,
early childhood, Head Start, and special needs
students. The design utilizes color and shapes
as a functional way-finding tool and creates a
dynmic environment for teaching children.
I v o n n e
L e v i n ,
AIA
The writer chaired AIA Fort Worth’s Excellence in Architecture
Committee in 2006.
Weldon Hafley Development Center
Good Shepherd Catholic Community
Modular Learning Facility
Lee Elementary School
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t e x a s
a r c h i t e c t
Dallas Architecture Center
Nedderman Mixed-Use Development
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